Our Rabbis

Rabbi Eliezer Hirsch

Rabbi Eliezer Hirsch is the founding rabbi and spiritual leader of Mekor Habracha/Center City Synagogue. Under his leadership, Mekor has experienced remarkable growth, helping to strengthen and expand Jewish life in Center City Philadelphia. The community has become a vibrant hub, offering inspiring Shabbat and holiday services, engaging Torah classes, daily minyanim, and meaningful programming.

Rabbi Hirsch serves as the Director of the Center City Eruv and oversees kosher certification for numerous establishments in Center City, helping to expand the city's kosher infrastructure. He has also guided dozens of Orthodox conversions and, together with the Mekor community, played a key role in helping establish the Center City mikvah.

A passionate advocate for Israel, Rabbi Hirsch has made love and support for Israel a cornerstone of Mekor's mission while celebrating the many congregants who have made aliyah.

Rabbi Hirsch received rabbinic ordination from Ner Israel Rabbinical College and Yeshivas Ohr Reuven. During nearly two decades of study in yeshiva, he forged close relationships with prominent rabbinic leaders and received years of training from renowned halachic authorities.

Rabbi Hirsch is the author of three books on the Jewish holidays:

Through his writing and teaching, Rabbi Hirsch applies the Torah's timeless wisdom to the challenges and opportunities of everyday life.

Rabbi Hirsch and his wife, Miriam, have made Center City their home and are deeply committed to strengthening Jewish life in Center City.

You can read Rabbi Hirsch's writings on Substack or contact him at rabbiehirsch@mekorhabracha.org.

Rabbi Steven Gotlib

Rabbi Steven Gotlib is Associate Rabbi at Mekor Habracha/Center City Synagogue and Director of the Center City Beit Midrash. Rabbi Gotlib studied Communication, Jewish Studies, and Philosophy at Rutgers University before receiving rabbinic ordination from the Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary at Yeshiva University (RIETS), a Certificate in Mental Health Counseling from the Ferkauf Graduate School of Psychology in partnership with RIETS, and a START Certificate in Spiritual Entrepreneurship from the Glean Network in partnership with Columbia Business School.

Rabbi Gotlib previously served as Interim Rabbi at Young Israel of Ottawa, Assistant Rabbi at the Village Shul/Aish HaTorah Learning Centre in Toronto, a Community Scholar at Beit Midrash Zichron Dov of Toronto, and Head of the Beit Midrash Program at Congregation Shearith Israel: The Spanish and Portuguese Synagogue in New York City.

As a RIETS student, he held rabbinic internships at Congregation Beth Abraham-Jacob of Albany and at Yeshiva University's Zahava and Moshael Straus Center for Torah and Western Thought while working as Webmaster and Social Media Manager for The Lehrhaus.

A popular guest speaker throughout the US and Canada, Rabbi Gotlib's writings can be read in the Lehrhaus, Jewish Action, Tradition Online, 18Forty, and more. He has contributed to several volumes, including Who by Plague: High Holy Days Sermons from COVID19 Times (Hamotzi Press, 2021), Nothing so Whole as a Broken Heart: Reflections for the Days of Awe (Izzun Books, 2024), A Quest for Our Times: The Louis Jacobs Haggadah (Izzun Books, 2025), and The Oxford Handbook of Jewish Law (Oxford University Press, 2025).

He strongly believes in making Jewish theology, philosophy, and law as accessible as possible to all who seek guidance and comfort within our tradition.

Read Rabbi Gotlib's Substack for more of his writing.

Rabbi Gotlib lives in Center City with his wife, Ruth Malkah Rohde, and their daughter Zeriza. He can be reached at rabbisgotlib@mekorhabracha.org.

Rabbi Eliezer Hirsch

A passionate advocate for Israel, Rabbi Hirsch has made love and support for Israel a cornerstone of Mekor's mission while celebrating the many congregants who have made aliyah.

Rabbi Hirsch is the author of three books on the Jewish holidays:

Through his writing and teaching, Rabbi Hirsch applies the Torah's timeless wisdom to the challenges and opportunities of everyday life.

Rabbi Hirsch and his wife, Miriam, have made Center City their home and are deeply committed to strengthening Jewish life in Center City.

You can read Rabbi Hirsch's writings on Substack or contact him at rabbiehirsch@mekorhabracha.org.

Rabbi Steven Gotlib

He strongly believes in making Jewish theology, philosophy, and law as accessible as possible to all who seek guidance and comfort within our tradition.

Read Rabbi Gotlib's Substack for more of his writing.

Rabbi Gotlib lives in Center City with his wife, Ruth Malkah Rohde, and their daughter Zeriza. He can be reached at rabbisgotlib@mekorhabracha.org.